


Out of Practice

by impsy



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Mass Effect 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-19 08:55:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29748072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impsy/pseuds/impsy
Summary: The lunch date at Apollo's did NOT go how Kaidan expected. In the best way.
Relationships: Kaidan Alenko/Female Shepard, Kaidan Alenko/Shepard
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Out of Practice

**Author's Note:**

> I'm doing my yearly replay of the trilogy, this time prepping for the Legendary edition (because it totally makes sense to replay the old version when the remaster is coming out soon, right?). And I'm down the Shenko rabbit hole once again, just like I have been for the past... 14 years. Oops. Enjoy. :)

You’re grinning like an idiot and can’t bring yourself to care. Your food is untouched in front of you, and the beautiful views of the Citadel from your table at Apollo’s go totally unnoticed, in favor of the woman sitting in front of you. 

Shepard catches you looking, but she just laughs, a carefree sound that you hadn’t realized how much you’d missed. “You’re staring, Alenko.”

You grin but break your gaze, taking a sip of your beer. “Sorry, Shepard. Just- wasn’t expecting lunch to go like this.”

She raises an eyebrow. “And what _were_ you expecting?”

“Well, a ‘thanks, but no thanks,’ maybe?” You laugh. “Or a ‘you’re lucky I let you back on the Normandy; don’t push it’?” 

She laughs and shakes her head. “Come on. Really?”

You shrug. “Shepard, I spent years just wanting to see you again. Then I did, and screwed it up, beyond all repair, I thought. Then I spent months wondering what would happen if I got another chance. Preparing myself for the worst case scenario.”

“And that didn’t happen.”

“Exactly.” You shake your head slowly, smiling at her. “Just can’t quite believe it yet.” 

“Me neither.” She smiles. “Been a long time coming, huh?”

“Too damn long.” 

She smiles and returns her attention to her food, then furrows her brow for a moment, deep in thought, then laughs. 

You tilt your head at her. “What’s funny?” 

“I just realized,” she smiles, “that technically, this is our first date.”

It takes a moment for her words to sink in, and you think back over the past few years. Surely that can’t be right. But there was no time during the mission to stop Saren. And after that, a few weeks of patrols through the Terminus systems hunting geth. And then… well. 

“Huh.” You lean back in your chair as you come to the same conclusion. “That’s… a little embarrassing, honestly. Wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to rethink your answer from earlier.”

She smiles and takes your hand. “Not a chance.” Your heart pounds so loud in your chest you’re certain she can hear it. “Guess we’ll just have to make it up to each other.”

“Absolutely.” You lean in toward her, and your voice lowers a bit. “I can think of a few ways.” 

She just smirks at you. “You better be prepared to follow through on that, Major.” 

Christ, this woman. “Ready and willing.”

“Promises, promises,” she teases. 

He gives her hand a squeeze. “Should we get out of here?”

“Thought you’d never ask.” 

The bill paid, you walk out of the cafe together and your hands brush slightly. You look over at her and your eyes meet, and you both smile. 

You walk toward the docks in silence, and you can’t quite believe this is real, that she’s alive and here and still feels the same. That after everything - her death, your near death, facing each other down during the coup - that this was really, finally happening. 

You take a leisurely pace through the Presidium. It’s a bit like walking through a dream - the world is moving a little bit slower, the lights are a little bit brighter. She grabs your shoulder to stop you from stepping on a toddler who ducks out in front of you suddenly, and you’re sure you can still feel the pressure of her hand after she lets go. 

You step on the elevator and press the button for the docks, and after a moment, she selects the Embassies. You look at her quizzically. 

“I’ve got a few other things to take care of while we’re here,” she says, and she sounds... apologetic? Regretful, maybe? “See you back on the ship?”

You smile and nod, though there’s a rush of disappointment. You have time. You aren’t losing her again. “Yeah, of course.” 

The elevator starts to move, an almost imperceptible shift. You just look at each other, and the urge to take her into your arms and kiss her hits you like a truck. But you’re frozen, overwhelmed, feeling like all the air has been sucked out of the room, and can’t actually _do_ anything. 

By the time you get a hold of yourself and start to take a step toward her, the elevator’s stopped at the docks. 

“Thanks for coming, Shepard. This was… it was great.” Understatement. “Just sorry it took us so long to have a real date.” 

“The first of many,” she smiles. 

_Kiss her already!_

But the moment’s passed. 

In your awkwardness, you almost reach out for a handshake, but you can practically hear her laughing you out of the elevator if you try. You know damn well she still wants to be with you - she just said so herself, for god’s sake - but you’d swear to anyone that fighting Reapers is less intimidating than approaching her again after all this time. 

She’s tapping at her omnitool as you leave, probably doing something important, and you feel a bit forgotten already as the doors slide shut behind you. 

“Such an idiot,” you mutter to yourself, and head toward the airlock. 

You drag your feet a little, alternating feeling disappointed in yourself and feeling disappointed that Shepard had other things to do. She’s trying to unite a galaxy that has been pretty content hanging on to millenia-old grudges - you can’t be mad that she has important things to get done while you’re on the Citadel. 

You remember now, back when you were stopping Saren, feeling like being with Shepard has always been like you’re only with half of her. The Shepard you know and love, with the quick retorts and crooked smiles, can disappear in an instant, and Commander Shepard, the first human Spectre, savior of the galaxy, no-nonsense and serious, can appear in her place. 

It can give you a bit of whiplash, sometimes. You wouldn’t want her to treat you any differently than anyone else on the crew, but sometimes it takes you a bit to adjust when she makes the switch to Commander. 

You open the door to the Normandy’s airlock, your mind wandering to the ship and getting settled in to your new quarters, and the door starts to close behind you with a soft hiss. 

But it stops, and you hear the doors reopen and turn around to see Shepard. Her blonde hair is a bit messier, and it looks like she ran all the way here. 

You raise your eyebrows. “Hey, Shepard, is everything-”

But you can’t even finish the sentence before she’s surged forward and she’s kissing you.

And all your nervousness is gone. All those hard, lonely years of dreams and regrets all wash away the second you touch her again. You wrap your arms around her, and her hand is buried in your hair, and she presses against you so hard that you take involuntary steps backwards until your back is to the wall, and the two of you cling to each other like you’re drowning, like there can’t be a millimeter of empty space between you. 

It’s almost too much. It’s like- like the first time you harnessed your biotics. It’s an electric shock. It’s potential and overwhelming power, beyond anything you’ve ever known. 

You manage to hang on for dear life, until eventually the two of you have to come up for air. But she doesn’t back away much. Just enough to look in your eyes and smile. 

You’re almost breathless, and you shake your head in wonder and cup her cheek, making sure she’s real. “Finish your errands already?”

She chuckles lightly, leaning into your touch. “No, just… realized that this was the most urgent one.”

“Can’t argue with that.” You smile, then kiss her once more. “Well, whenever you’re done, I’ll be waiting for you.”

She squeezes your hands. “You’d better be.” She steps backwards out the airlock, keeping you in sight for as long as she can, and then she’s gone. 

But for the first time in years, you know with certainty that she’ll be back soon. You just smile and head back to the Normandy, your steps and heart lighter than they’ve been in a long time. 


End file.
